A One-Hour Walk at Union Station: Following the Light
I brought my camera to Union Station with a simple plan: wander for an hour and see what the light would give me. No agenda, no shot list—just the sun, the station’s stone arches, and whatever unfolded between them.
A woman walks through a shaft of light at Union Station, Washington, D.C.
The first photograph of the day came when I noticed a sharp wedge of sunlight slicing across one of the station’s entrances. The rest of the scene was swallowed in deep shadow—doors darkened, stone walls muted, everything quiet except that one bright shape on the ground. I waited at the edge of it until a passerby stepped into the light. For a split second, her figure and her shadow aligned perfectly with the illuminated triangle, creating a clean, graphic contrast between brightness and darkness. It was the kind of moment that only appears when you slow down long enough to let it find you.
Women on a Washington, D.C. Metro Escalator.
A few minutes later, I moved into the arcade along the front of the station, where the afternoon sun falls in long beams that stretch across the pavement. The arches overhead cast heavy shadows that break the space into alternating bands of light and dark. In that in-between zone, another passerby walked through carrying a few bags, her shadow elongating far ahead of her. The geometry of the scene—columns, angles, her silhouette merging with the beam of light—felt like Union Station itself was composing the shot for me.
Light and Shadow at Union Station, Washington, D.C.
The last image of the day happened away from the arches, on a quieter path nearby. A row of short, decorative posts stood in a line, and a kid decided they weren’t décor at all but an obstacle course. I caught a frame just as they launched themselves from one post to the next, mid-air, hair flying, while someone nearby walked past unfazed. It was a brief moment of playfulness breaking through an otherwise ordinary afternoon. No dramatic shadows this time—just motion, spontaneity, and a reminder that street photography is also about the unexpected.
A Woman Hurdles a Bollard in Washington, D.C.
My hour at Union Station didn’t produce a single “perfect” photograph, but it reminded me why I love walking with a camera. Light creates its own stories, people add their own rhythms, and the city offers moments—bold, subtle, or surprising—if you’re willing to stand still long enough to witness them.
Do you ever give yourself constraints like this—a time limit, a single lens, or one neighborhood? Tell me about your favorite photo-walk challenges in the comments.